Why You Need to Spend More Time on Facebook: How Social Media Can Connect WAHMs to Their Professional Network
By Guest Blogger, Kristi Gaylord
The benefits of being a work-at-home mom are widely known.
We’re are able to spend heaps of quality time with our kids, avoid shelling out fistfuls of cash for an expensive professional wardrobe, avoid lengthy and stressful commutes, and, perhaps best of all, we can work in our pajamas and slippers, workout gear and sneakers, or jeans and a t-shirt.
The personal and creative freedoms associated with working for ourselves are a big part of why we chose this career path.
Yet despite the many positive aspects of this work situation, there are drawbacks to at-home self-employment. Sometimes attempting to work with young children around (or underfoot, or on our laps) is all but impossible. Sometimes we find it difficult to separate the different spheres of our lives since we both work at home and live at work. And sometimes we feel isolated – cut off from the corporate offices, team-building activities, and coworker banter some of us left behind in pursuit of a more flexible schedule.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Evolving technology has enabled WAHMs to stay connected to the “outside world” in ways not available to us even two years ago. Myriad online tools and resources exist to allow us to connect and network with former coworkers, business partners, clients (both current and potential), and friends across the globe with minimal effort.
Here are some ways we can build our businesses, add clients, connect with others in our field, and stay in touch with friends and former coworkers who can help us grow our professional network.
Join the NessWorld WAHM Alliance
If you’re reading this, chances are you know a little bit about what Vanessa is trying to accomplish. NessWorld is an alliance of WAHMs who want to market their businesses to their local communities. Designed to provide WAHMs with exposure, professional opportunities, and networking capabilities, Vanessa will set up your free profile page, and then help you promote it to your network. You can also access tons of helpful articles about running a business from home, including those on how to create marketing opportunities and advice on how to grow your business while maintaining a good work-life balance. Best of all, you can connect with other moms who are awake with the sun and trying to get some work done before the kids get up.
Boost Your Facebook Time
Yes, that’s right. You need to spend more time on Facebook. This social networking website is more than a place to reconnect with the boy who broke your heart in 11th grade and secretly gloat over the fact that you have aged much better than he has. Create a Facebook page for your business, send your clients and friends invitations to join the page, and post business-related updates on your wall (Think: “Working on an exciting new marketing plan for Company X!” rather than “On my forth shot of tequila and still going strong!”). Fill out your profile with links to your work, share articles that interest your clients, and even market your products by posting special offers or packages.
Get LinkedIn
If you’re not already on LinkedIn, you should be. LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site that allows users to create and maintain a list of business contacts. The contacts are called Connections, and users can also see those connected to members of their contact list (similar to the Friend Lists of your Facebook friends). This helps you broaden your own professional contacts or client base. Ask a happy client, or a former manager or co-worker to write you a glowing recommendation to appear on your page, and you have an online business profile available to your entire business network, and their connections as well.
Get Your Tweet On With Twitter
As it is with the other social media tools, Twitter has radically changed the way we communicate. It’s a great way to let your network of friends and business contacts know about a new project, informally collaborate with others in your field, or reach out to friends when you’re having a tough day at the “office.” Tweets are short (140 characters or fewer), quick, and to-the-point, and can instantly relay information to both your personal and professional networks.
In many ways, working from home sounds like the ideal situation for moms. But staying connected to the professional world many of us left behind is challenging when the demands of our families and jobs eat up most of day. Social media tools allow you to quickly and easily harness the awesome connective power of the Internet and put it to work for you and your business.
read moreWAHM: A Great Way to Promote your Business
Being a Work at Home Mom can be one of the most rewarding things that you do.
But we also know how hard it can be all by yourself.
For example, where on earth would you even begin to find investors for your idea? A partner? A service provider?
You’re just starting out and you need to find every possible avenue to market yourself, your product and your idea. Current Social Networks focus more on YOU the person, as opposed to YOU the business. It can be a veritable zoo of information, and you rarely know which service to use and when to promote yourself.
However, we have found one, thanks to Darren Rowse at Problogger, called You Noodle, which focuses on both. Did we mention it’s free?
YouNoodle harnesses the power of social networking, and showcases start-ups, websites, new businesses and existing ventures.
Giving you an easy to use platform to showcase your ideas whether they are brand new and still in the building phase, or if you are already established and simply wanting to promote your products and services to a unique market of people.
Some of you may wish to keep your ideas to yourself, naturally the fear of being copied or beaten to market is frightening for some, but ask yourself, what guarantee do you have that you keep your ideas to yourself, and someone doesn’t beat you to market anyway? Why not put yourself out there, and put your stamp and your face behind your ‘big idea’ right from the start.
It is about taking ownership of your idea and seeking out like minded entrepeneurs, and more importantly POTENTIAL INVESTORS. As a WAHM what an amazing opportunity to be able to reach the ears of the people who may be able to help you launch your idea into the stratosphere, all while you are sitting at home.
Don’t forget to connect with NessWorld while you’re there, you can follow NessWorlds’ progress by following this link to my profile and connecting with us there.
Remember if you are going to promote yourself and your business, have your summary, most professional profile photo, and some business graphics ready. If you are in the Cape Town area and need help getting the perfect profile photograph taken, you are welcome to email me to arrange a quick low cost photoshoot (I will offer special rates to NessWorld fans), and of course I can also be of service in getting business graphics designed for you (graphic design services I can offer globally thanks to the wonder of the internet), and optimized for web use, again, please contact me via email with your requirements, naturally I will offer special rates for NessWorld followers and fans.
I started NessWorld as a way of helping other WAHMs (work at home moms) get access to these kinds of professional services at affordable rates (when you have a household to maintain, we know what kind of strain that can put on your marketing budget!) and this is my way of helping out.
